Roman Aqueducts

Aqueducts were typically very large structures with either single, double or triple tiers of arches and were used to carry water to the populated areas. The earliest one in Rome was the Aqua Appia made in 312 BCE. One that some of us saw quite often was the end of the Aqua Virgo which is now the Trevi Fountain. Aqueducts were a very important part of Roman civilization and ruins of them can be found all over the city.

Roman Basilicas

Basilicas were adopted by the Christian church but were conceived by the Romans as large gathering places most commonly used as law courts. The long halls and large roofs would be supported by columns and piers on all sides and the columns created a central nave flanked on all sides by an aisle. Many of the foundations of basilicas have been excavated, including St. Peters where they found catacombs buried underneath this massive basilica.

Inside St. Peter's Basilica

Along my travels we found Saint Mark's Basilica in Venice which has similar but different aspects than St. Peter's because Venice has more gothic architecture.

In addition, in Assisi we saw the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi which again had a different style of architecture but still very similar aspects on the inside.

Roman Baths

These are the Baths of Caracalla (completed in 216 CE), one of the best surviving examples of roman baths. These baths display the Romans ability to create breath-taking interior space using arches, domes, vaults, and buttresses. The largest baths typically included a huge complex, build symmetrically along side each other, with pools, cold and hot rooms, fountains, libraries, under-floor heating, and sometimes inner-wall heating. The exteriors were usually quite plain but the inside was always lavish with columns, marble, statues and mosaics.

Below are example layouts as to what these baths may have actually looked like.

Fortunately there are still ruins of these baths so we are able to see parts of what they used to look like. Also it is amazing that there are still original mosaics from these baths that were not destroyed or stolen.

Private Roman Houses

Private Roman houses could not only enchant with the beautiful frescos and stucco but also with atrium, peristyles, gardens and fountains all in perfect symmetry. These houses were very large and extravagant because they wanted to show off that they had money. Like the one pictured in the background that is to the right and the connecting bridge brings the family to their private church. Families built these houses in order to show their wealth and power to people entering Rome from other countries.

All wealthy Roman houses had a variety of frescos painted onto every ceiling just like in the picture below.

Romans also had large apartment blocks that were made for the less well-off city-dwellers. These buildings were constructed in brick, concrete, and wood, they sometimes had a balcony. Apartments like this appeared as early as the 3rd century BCE and by the 1st century BCE some could have up to 12 stories.

Now, of course, there are new styles of apartment buildings that are all over the city of Rome.

As part of our experience we were able to live with an Italian family inside the city. Here we got to see their lifestyle and the types of houses and apartments that they live in now. We stayed in an apartment that looked similar to the ones in the above picture.

Roman Temples

Roman temples are a combination of the Etruscan and Greek models with an inner cella at the read of the building surrounded by column and set on a raised platform (3.5 meters high) with a stepped entrance and columned porch. Temples were typically rectangular but could also be circular or polygonal. The Pantheon is an example of this, which was completed in 125 CE under Hadrian. The purpose of the building is not completely known but it does suggest to be a temple of sorts.

This Roman temple's architecture has now been used as a model for many government buildings, including the US Capitol.

Within the Roman Forum there are many Temples. One of the most prominent ones is the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina (pictured in the background) which was dedicated by Antoninus Pius in AD 41 to his deified wife Faustina. This is the most prominent temples because it is one of the best preserved temples. With the Baroque-style top-knot, it is also one of the oddest temples because of ideas like the carvings of griffins along the side frieze.

The temple pictured above is the Temple of Saturn which has eight grey and red lonic columns that constitute what is left of the temple to the ruler of agricultural and of a mythic "Golden Age".

Roman Theatres

Roman theatres were inspired by the Greeks, but the orchestra was made semicircular and the structure was made using stone. The Romans also added a very decorative stage building which incorporated different levels of columns, projections, pediments, and statues such as what is found in the theatre at Orange (27 BCE - 14 CE). Theatres also display the Roman passion for enclosing spaces, usually with a wooden roof or employed canvas awnings.

In Villa Borghese we saw the Globe Theatre (pictured in the background) which is an exact replica of London's Shakespearean theatre with the circular shaped, open centre and rectangular roofed stage, all constructed in wood.

Also in Villa Borghese we happened to also run into the worlds smallest movie theatre which is obviously a much more modernized theatre.

Roman Amphitheatres

A fully enclosed amphitheater was a particular favorite of the Romans. The Colosseum is the largest and most famous and is a typical example copied throughout the empire: a highly decorative exterior, seats set over a network of barrel vaults, and underground rooms below the arena floor to hide people, animals and props until they were needed in the shows. The Romans loved amphitheaters because this where they enjoyed their entertainment of gladiator battles and other activities.

Triumphal Arches

Triumphal Arches, with a single, double, or triple entrance had no practical function other than to commemorate in sculpture and inscription significant events such as military victories. The earliest examples being the two arches set up by L. Stertinius in Rome (196 BCE). Later examples were often protected by steps. The arches, topped by a bronze four-horse chariot, became imposing stone monuments to Rome. The Arch of Constantine (c. 315 CE) in Rome is the largest surviving example and is perhaps the last great monument of Imperial Rome.

The Arch of Septimius Severus (pictured below) is a well preserved triumphal arch that celebrates the emperor's Middle Eastern victories. It was erected in AD 203 by his sons, Geta and Caracalla, then co-emperors.

This is the Arch of Titus which is the oldest extant arch in Roman and was erected in AD 81 by Emperor Domitian to honor his brother, Titus, and his father Vespasian, for putting down the Jewish Revolt. Parts of it show soldiers sacking Jerusalem's Holy of Holies and taking sacred objects, such as a golden menorah.

Throughout Europe there are Triumphal Arches everywhere. While in Barcelona we visited the Arc de Triomf (pictured in the background). Unlike other arches this one was built as the gateway to the 1888 Universal Exhibition held in Parc de la Ciutadella.